FEST: 'Fisheye perspective on estuaries and their floodplains as complex biogeomorphic systems'

Friday Earth Sciences Talk by Prof. Dr Maarten Kleinhans

Estuaries often show dynamic patterns of channels, bars, tidal flats and vegetated floodplains. These aspects are important for coastal ecosystems, flood protection and navigation. How decadal and centennial development of estuarine morphology are affected by climate change and direct human interference is unclear because of the complex behavior of such estuarine systems. Current equilibrium models for estuaries, such as the lagoonal or exponentially convergent shape, do not predict multiple stable states.

Here, a synthesis of estuarine system responses is initiated from results of numerical biogeomorphological models and landscape experiments in the Metronome (a 20 m long tidal flume in the Earth Simulation Laboratory). The models and the experiments show striking biogeomorphological similarities (and differences) with natural landscapes despite model issues and experimental violation of the classic rules of engineering scale models. They illuminate effects of floodplain formation, sea-level rise, hard banks, and fairway dredging on the stable or transient states of estuaries.

With the FEST, we intend to bring the departments of Earth Sciences and Physical Geography together. The aim is to present (mostly) Utrecht-based Earth Sciences in an accessible way, primarily in order to stay familiar with each other’s work across disciplines. Simultaneously, this provides an excellent platform to help (in particular MSc.) students in their orientation on possible graduation specialisations and future careers.